Sharks are particularly vulnerable to overfishing because they grow slowly, are late to mature and produce relatively few young. Currently more than a fifth of shark species are listed as threatened with extinction.

Glenn Sant, TRAFFIC's Global Marine Programme Leader and an author of the report, described the impact of illegal fishing as an unacceptable additional threat to the survival of populations of sharks.

"We simply don't know enough about the scale of global shark fishing practices to assess the true impact that legitimate fishing is having," he said. "Many so-called ‘managed shark fisheries' are not constrained in any way to ensure they are sustainable, which opens up the threat of over-fishing."

The report was launched ahead of this week's United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) meeting on sharks in Rome, which will discuss how to monitor shark fisheries and will consider the effect illegal fishing is having on shark numbers.

In 2000, FAO encouraged member countries to implement management of their shark populations, but seven years later fewer than 20% of members had introduced a plan to do so. Such national measures should include specific actions to tackle illegal shark fishing.

"The global lack of action towards conserving shark populations is inexcusable given the knowledge we have about the impacts of fishing on these animals," Sant emphasized.

"While shark numbers plummet, the major shark catching countries have shown little uptake of recommendations on monitoring or management, so we welcome the efforts that FAO is making this week in Rome."

Only six of the top 20 shark-catching countries or territories have implemented plans of action to manage sharks.

"It is particularly important that all countries improve reporting by specifying which shark species are caught," says Colman O'Criodain, wildlife trade policy analyst at WWF-International.

"It's a major concern that many of the countries with the biggest shark fisheries are not currently tracking this."

TRAFFIC believes it is imperative to create frameworks to support rapid national action to improve the management of sharks. Countries with developed management systems need to implement measures to address the impacts they are having on sharks. In addition, assistance should be provided to countries with less developed systems to establish monitoring and management of shark fisheries.

Sharks' fins are consumed as a luxury food item in Asia and the demand for them is fuelled by the rising affluence in the region. In Hong Kong, the world's largest shark-fin market, the species whose fins are most commonly recorded in trade are Blue, Shortfin Mako, Sandbar, Bull, hammerhead, silky and thresher sharks. Blue and silky sharks are mainly caught as a by-product of tuna-fishing operations. Hammerhead and silky sharks are the species most often identified as caught by illegal fishing vessels.

The major importers of fins in recorded trade are China (including Hong Kong and Macao), Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Taiwan.

The recorded trade in all shark products (meat, fins and other products) is highly lucrative, worth USD310 million in 2005, and although by volume fins only accounted for 7% of this trade, they were worth 40% of the total.

The top 20 catching countries / territories in 2006 according to data reported to FAO are identified below. It should be noted that some do not report their catch, or do not report accurately, to FAO.

Position

Catcher

tonnes

%

1.

Indonesia

98250

13.0

2.

India

77821

10.3

3.

Taiwan, Province of China*

49375

6.5

4.

Argentina

40293

5.3

5.

Spain

40057

5.3

6.

Mexico*

39106

5.4

7.

USA*

31976

4.2

8.

Japan*

26178

3.5

9.

Malaysia*

22240

2.9

10.

Thailand*

21187

2.8

11.

Pakistan

20127

2.7

12.

France

19082

2.5

13.

Brazil

18389

2.4

14.

Portugal

16934

2.2

15.

New Zealand

16783

2.2

16.

Iran (Islamic Rep. of)

15015

2.0

17.

Nigeria

14444

1.9

18.

Yemen

13060

1.7

19.

Venezuela, Boliv. Rep of

11294

1.5

20.

Korea, Republic of

10841

1.4

21.

Others

156046

20.6

Global catch

758498

* countries / territories who have implemented plans of action to manage sharks